Dravid dropped from ODI squad

Ahmedabad, Oct 27: Former captain Rahul Dravid was axed while his erstwhile deputy Virender Sehwag was recalled in the 15-member Indian squad announced today for the first two ODI matches against Pakistan, which begins on November 5.

Uttar Pradesh all-rounder Praveen Kumar was the lone new face in the team which also saw the return of Gautam Gambhir in place of Tamil Nadu batsman S Badrinath.

Also dropped from the side, which faced the Australians in the recent seven-match ODI series, was Tamil Nadu wicket keeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik who played one match against the Aussies and scored a duck.

M.S. Dhoni, who led India in the Twenty20 World Cup triumph, has been retained as captain of Team India.

BCCI Secretary Nirjan Shah said Dhoni was consulted on phone by the selectors.

The first two ODIs will be played at Gauhawati and Mohali, near Chandigarh, on November 5 and 8 respectively.

UNI